I don't know what's wrong with people who design computers. I have a laptop with sound, right? And when I get to work I dock it and there are external speakers, and a pair of headphones. Somehow every time I start music when I get to work, the computer senses where I want the music to play (speakers or headphones) and uses the other one, at unreasonable volume. And it's not necessarily the last one I used. It's just ... whoever designed this software hates me and all other reasonable people.
Like the state of sound in general on electronic things is terrible. Am I the only person who hates the beeps that things make? Like the microwave. Damn thing beeps every time you touch a button, and loud. A small click sound would be sufficient but BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. I've seen some appliances that have a more chimey sound, but that's kind of hokey. I just want my stuff to make understated sounds if at all. I know you're there, I can see you just fine.
The microwave at work has a "sounds off" mode but that also turns off the "cycle done" beep, making it useless.
Most of the time I keep my computer on mute, but sometimes I forget to change the settings back after listening something. Usually I'm reminded of this when a video on some of the multiple open tabs starts playing on full volume without any prompt from me. Sometimes I get multiple videos playing all at once.
I dislike the sound a cellphone charger makes. If I want to charge my phone overnight I'll have to put it in another room, because I can't sleep otherwise. Monitors sometimes make a high pitched peep peep peep too if they are left on.
I've been wondering why the designer of my microwave thought the sounds it makes were necessary. The sounds came as a bit of a surprise since loud unnecessary beeping wasn't mentioned in the product information. And there's no way to turn it off on mine either. That manufacturer lost a future client because their insistence on BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. It BEEPS every time I push a button and four times when the time is up. And if I open it before the time is up it says BEEP. And if I push the Stop-button it BEEPS. When I have to get another microwave I'll never ever buy one of theirs again. And I'll probably steer clear of their other products too. Polluting my home with unnecessary sounds may lead to a grudge that may or may not be proportional to the actual offence.Originally Posted by xel
There have actually been people who have gotten official warnings after a neighbour got fed up with them using their microwave at night.
There are lots of discussions online about how to find a quiet microwave. Some people want to let their families sleep at night, some live in old buildings where every sound carries and some are just very annoyed by unnecessary beeps. People are actually making buying decisions based on the sounds a microwave makes so it's a wonder how some manufacturers remain indifferent to this.
There are already companies that make small things or especially sleek things. Perhaps there should be a company designing products with even a little bit more effort in making the product sound more pleasant or perhaps even giving the customer some choice whether to listen to BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP or a tiny Pling! or nothing at all. It seems that most manufacturers think that there's no need to use time on improving or muting the sounds a product makes. It is not seen as an important feature.
Good design all around
Last edited by Linnea; 09-23-2014 at 10:04 PM. Reason: fixed a word
I'm actually looking for a new PC soundcard, something with a good DAC and decent driver support. Any recommendations?
If you're using windows, you can set the default playback device so it preferentially falls back to the next best option if one is removed.
My microwave is old school, it has an actual bell inside it. It's pleasant.
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